Years after King T’Challa’s passing, Marvel has at last announced the hero who will lead Wakanda forward.
At San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, Marvel Studios formally revealed that Black Panther 3 is underway and scheduled to hit theaters on December 15, 2028. While director Ryan Coogler is returning to write and direct the final installment of his critically acclaimed trilogy, the biggest revelation of the evening was the confirmation of who will take over the legendary role.
David Jonsson’s casting was officially disclosed. The 32-year-old actor will portray Prince T’Challa II (Toussaint), who was first introduced at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the son of the late T’Challa and Nakia. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wakanda will enter a new era as his character takes on the mantle of the Black Panther.
Marvel also revealed that Winston Duke will reprise his role as M’Baku and Letitia Wright will return as Shuri. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington is also joining the cast in a role that Coogler reportedly wrote specifically for him, though details about his character remain under wraps.
David Jonsson is your new Black Panther.
Black Panther 3, directed by Ryan Coogler, arrives in theaters December 15, 2028. pic.twitter.com/JILHDOelQE
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 26, 2026
The announcement has deeply affected longtime fans. In 2020, Chadwick Boseman—who played King T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War (2016) before starring in the landmark film Black Panther (2018)—passed away from colon cancer.
His character dies off-screen at the beginning of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever due to a sudden, unspecified illness that his sister, Shuri, is unable to cure in time. This mirrors the actor’s real-life death in August 2020. Rather than recasting the role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel chose to honor Boseman’s legacy by allowing the narrative to continue through his family and the next generation.